PNW Pridecast: A Conversation with Provost Holford

May 3, 2023

Listen to the Episode

Episode Script

Hello, Purdue Northwest colleagues! The PNW Pridecast is back, and we’re bringing you one last installment to close out the spring semester.

I’m Kale Wilk, Communications Specialist in Marketing and Communications, and for our last piece of the 2022-23 academic year, we extended an invitation to Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Chris Holford to reflect on PNW’s strengths in academics, student life, and more, as well as his vision for future years to come at the region’s premier metropolitan university.

A Conversation with Provost Holford

Our conversation opened with a question on how Provost Holford would describe what it means to provide a quality academic experience to PNW students.

Provost Holford: “I think that is everything from the way we talk to students when we recruit them to the university, we want them to come here and see that we have quality academic programming,and that we have a very high-caliber faculty.

I have spent most of the last two years trying to illustrate or showcase to the community what our faculty are doing and what they have accomplished. We frequently refer to ourselves as a hidden gem here in Northwest Indiana and, quite frankly, I do not want to be hidden anymore. I want everybody to know, comparatively speaking, the quality of our faculty is much better than most institutions around us. They are engaged in the classroom, they are providing our students with meaningful, valuable experience, and they are active scholars as well. We are producing scholarship at a rate that is not really matched in most of northern Indiana. I am very impressed with what our faculty are doing and the type of experiences that they can give a Purdue Northwest student in the classroom.

I am particularly proud of some of the co-curricular activities that have emerged. We have over 100 clubs and organizations on campus now that span a wide range of interests. Our dormitories are at capacity now and we are looking at what our options are to provide more students with that residential type of experience.

Regarding quality in facilities, the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience and Innovation Building, the renovations we have been doing around campus, I want our student population to know we care about their educational experience and we care about the quality of that experience. Our buildings are some of the best buildings in Northwest Indiana to provide that quality educational experience. Ultimately we want our degree programs at the end to be quality programs that they (students) are proud they graduated from.

When we talk about quality it is about all the facets of the university doing the best job that we can to provide the best well-rounded experience to our students.”

A particular point of pride for Provost Holford has been the implementation and recognition of high levels of sponsored research at PNW — over $30 million over the past few years and counting. He expanded on why that is so meaningful for an institution of our size.

Provost Holford: “I have been very proud of the expansion and the quality of the research that our faculty are producing. Sponsored research, funded research from outside of the university, over the past three years has more than tripled. Our sponsored research is double that of any of the institutions in the northern part of the state with the exception of Notre Dame.

We are doing really incredible things in sponsored research. In particular, I think that the quality of scholarship that has gone on and the level of sponsored research activity that we have is a reflection of a recognition of the type of applied research we are doing and the impact that that type of research can have.

In the last two-and-a-half years we have had more than $30 million in grants received to the institution. I have every expectation knowing what our totals are for (the first) three quarters of this year that we will be equal to or exceed what we have done in past years. That trend has certainly continued over a three-year period. It is not a fluke when we have the same outcomes over a three-year period.

We are regularly receiving grants from agencies like the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, and even recently in the area of Cybersecurity the National Security Agency for cyberdefense and cyberdefense education.

The impact of that level of scholarship is really being felt around the institution. It is something our faculty should be very proud of. I want to do everything in my power to make sure that the metropolitan community we serve knows the expertise this campus has to offer, and that our student body coming in knows that they are at a really premier institution.”

Over the past few years PNW has established two doctoral programs, with a third well on the way — the applied Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). As of this Pridecast’s recording, the Purdue Board of Trustees approved the PsyD curriculum and sent it on its next step to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission after that.

Provost Holford took time to share the importance of adding these advanced practice degrees to PNW’s graduate school offerings and the deliberate nature of their application to the region’s industries and needs.

Provost Holford: “Mental health continues to be a large need in Northwest Indiana. Realistically I could expand this because we are not necessarily serving the whole country, but this is a problem across the whole country where you have big organizations, even hospital systems, that are unable to meet this need. So we saw our opportunity, we certainly had expertise in the faculty, to develop the programming that was necessary. We embarked on an 18-month process to build a curriculum for this. Our faculty in Psychology were heavily engaged for a period of time building a curriculum.

We have gone through the approval process now. Pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission and the state, we will launch our first cohort into this need. Given that we have clinical facilities on Indianapolis Boulevard right now that are serving a community need, we see this as a logical next step for us moving into the space.

It (the PsyD) has two functions: our students get to be directly involved as a practitioner in these particular spaces, and then on top of that, we have the quality experience for our trainees and we help serve a need in Northwest Indiana in particular. I think when you have those congruent missions, the desire to serve the community and the ability as an institution to provide expertise to solve that problem, those are good fits. We are not trying to be something that we are not as an institution — we are really trying to meet those needs that the community has around us. We are really looking for our opportunities.

That has really transformed the institution. Twenty-five years ago I started at an institution (Purdue North Central) that was primarily conferring associate’s degrees. Now, we have moved into a space where we have advanced practice degrees.

I have used the word a lot, but I am very proud that the institution is building programs that are meeting needs in the community we serve. I think that helps us when we look at the definition of a metropolitan-serving institution, that word ‘serving’ is in there, we are a public state institution, we are trying to be responsive to the needs of the community that we are serving.”

Provost Holford and his office have long emphasized during this academic year that retention must be kept at the forefront, and he was excited to share more about another development recently approved by the Purdue Board of Trustees: PNW’s forthcoming University College.

Provost Holford: “Retention is the No. 1 objective right now. This is a university goal. This is not one department, or one unit, or one idea. This is how as an institution we create an environment that students are proud to be at, want to stay at, and complete their degrees in a timely fashion.

So what we have done is systematically started looking at what are roadblocks to students coming to college? What are the roadblocks for students persisting in college? And then looking at how we as an institution can remove those roadblocks or barriers, whether those be services we need to provide as an institution; keeping our tuition as low as possible in the state to keep us accessible; we have put support systems in place; and we have spent a lot of effort in co-curricular types of activities, clubs, and organizations that students can be involved in and feel like they belong and are a part of the fabric of the institution. That is reflected both in the curriculum and what we are doing across the campus in the form of renovation.

Also, we are formalizing the idea of the University College. Students that were previously admitted to the institution that were undecided in what they were doing or had not declared a major yet were not formally part of any of the academic colleges. We want them to know they belong at this institution. They have already selected us, they are already here, we want to retain them at higher rates, we want them to feel as if they belong with the institution.

The University College is an evolution of that where all students that apply and are accepted into our institution will be part of a college home. They will be able to associate with other students in the college. Dean Jonathan Swarts, who is currently dean of the Honors College and undergraduate studies, will also be part of the University College. They (the students) will have a home unit that they are a part of, they will have a dean that they can go to to help work through concerns. But it is that idea of creating a welcoming campus where all students belong and see that they fit, as opposed to accepting students to the university that do not really have an academic home and do not feel like they are supported. We want those students to feel supported in their academic efforts and we want to use that as a vehicle to direct those support services to that student population.

The goal will still be to encourage those students after about 30 credit hours in the University College to transfer into one of the other programmatic colleges, but it will give them the time and space to take some coursework, reflect on what they want to do, what career outcome they are after, and then select an appropriate college to transfer into.”

We closed out our conversation by letting Provost Holford share his vision of PNW’s metropolitan university identity and what he wants to see in our future academic years.

Provost Holford: “I believe as a public state institution we want to be an affordable and accessible opportunity in the communities we serve and beyond. I want us to be providing that quality educational experience so that a student will turn around post-graduation, look back, and be proud to have come from an institution that set them on a trajectory that they were very interested in.

I am a biologist, so I like the term ‘evolve.’ As an institution we have continued to evolve at a pretty rapid rate during the entire 25 years that I have been here. I want us to continue evolving and continue serving our students in a meaningful way. And again, what attracted me and kept me at the institution was the power of the interaction between the faculty and the students. I feel that has been a real strength of our institution historically. While we continue to evolve, I do not want to lose touch with this important bond that builds between faculty and students, the faculty who really care about the success of their students, and have always been willing to invest extra time helping students that want to attain something to get to their career goal.

As we continue to change, as our degree programs continue to change, one of the things I hope we see at the institution is that we maintain this identity of being caring about the individual students and that we do not lose sight of the individual student that comes to this institution. I really think throughout our history we have done an amazing job in that space. I think that makes us somewhat unique in mid-size public institutions that are really focused on the success of the individual students moving through the university.”

Recent News

We thank Provost Holford for a wonderful talk to include on Pridecast. But, of course, what would a Pridecast episode be without a last roundup of recent news?:

Chancellor Tom Keon recently announced he will conclude his tenure as the PNW chancellor June 30, 2024, and transition to faculty, in accordance with system policy limiting service timeframes in leadership positions. Purdue University President Mung Chiang and the Board of Trustees announced Trustee Malcolm DeKryger will chair an advisory committee for PNW’s next chancellor.
On the 10th annual PNW Day of Giving, Purdue Northwest set an all-time record in total funds raised and gifts made in $2.85 million and 1,895 donations in 24 hours. The participation rate increased by 34% from last year.PNW ranked fourth among 77 participating units in the Purdue system for total gifts received. PNW also ranked ninth system-wide among units in total dollars raised. For more information, you can visit pnw.edu/day-of-giving

Niaz Latif will step down from his role as dean of the College of Technology on June 30, after which he will transition to oversee the office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the future Roberts Impact Lab, and continue as executive director of the Commercialization and Manufacturing Excellence Center. Mohammed Zahraee will transition from associate dean to interim dean of the College of Technology effective July 1.
U.S. News & World Report recently recognized two of PNW’s graduate program offerings in the 2023-24 best graduate school rankings. PNW’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree ranked No. 100 nationally among best MSN programs. PNW’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) ranked No. 184 among best part-time MBA programs. To view the full list of rankings, visit usnews.com.

Teaching Incentive Program Award recipients were recently announced, recognizing and incentivizing contributions to PNW in instructional excellence. Faculty award recipients will receive a $3,000 recurring increase to their base salary at the start of the next fiscal year.Honorees from the College of Business include Pat Obi, White Lodging professor of Finance and Deanne Shimala, clinical assistant professor of Accounting and Finance.James Dolen, associate professor of Physics, was recognized from the College of Engineering and Sciences.
Honorees from the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences include Heather Augustyn, continuing lecturer; Mark Mabrito, professor of English; and Steffanie Triller Fry, assistant professor of practice.

Julia Rogers, assistant professor of Nursing, was recognized from the College of Nursing.

And honorees from the College of Technology include Lakshman Mapa, professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology; and Michael Roller, associate professor of Computer Information Technology and Graphics.

Finally, PNW will host spring commencement exercises on Saturday, May 6. A total of 889 candidates, including 755 earning baccalaureate degrees and 134 earning master’s degrees, will be recognized. Spring commencement will take place outdoors south of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building.

With that, I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to all of you who listened along during this academic year. We look forward to bringing you more information in this accessible format in 2023-24. Of course, I’ll give the gentle reminder that by visiting pnw.edu/pridecast, you can revisit all the episodes of this past year, submit your internal faculty and staff news suggestions, and share general feedback with us so we can continue improving this initiative.

I’m Kale Wilk, signing off for now. Have a great summer, and we’ll reconnect in the fall semester.